"Now, you might argue that I'm stretching the term "news" a little, since we've had ads in App Store search since 2016, and even this latest expansion of the program, creating multiple paid slots per query, was first floated last month. But you would be wrong, because we just learned two new nuggets of knowledge: the timeframe, and the markets which will get the extra ads first (the U.K., followed by Japan, followed by everyone else). So there."
"At first, it was a single ad at the top of each search query. Then those ads spread to other parts of the App Store. And Apple News. And Stocks. And iMovie. And, in another 2026 development, Apple Maps. The company is constantly pushing for more intrusive advertising. When users push back hard enough (such as ads for gambling apps appearing in the "You Might Also Like" section), Apple generally takes a step back; when they don't, Apple takes another step forward. And this is the latest."
Apple will expand App Store search ads starting in March, adding multiple paid slots per query and rolling the change out to the U.K. first, then Japan, then other markets. Ads have existed in App Store search since 2016 and have gradually spread into many Apple services including News, Stocks, iMovie and Maps. The company increases ad placements when user pushback is limited and occasionally retreats when backlash grows. The expansion aims to boost revenue but risks degrading the user experience and eroding trust in Apple’s integrated hardware-software approach.
Read at Macworld
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